Theories of Crime Flashcards
Feminist Theory of Crime
Heidensohn and Silvestria - Amnesia and distortion
Heidensohn - Female crime not as studied as researchers male, malestream romanticised view of W.class crime and female crime is harder to identify and smaller.
MESSERSCHMIDT- Crime and violence means to achieve masculine identity
SMART- Double offenders.
OPENED UP NEW WAY TO LOOK AT CRIME.
Postmodernist
Crime is based on outdated law Metanarrative that is ineffective in a fragmented society that is based on the norms of the powerful BUT is underpinned by right and wrong.
HENRY AND MILOVANIC - Transgressive approach, go beyond legal definition.
Crime of Reduction
Crime of Repression.
Crime is caused by growing individualism and thus less commitment to the group and a fragmented and uncertain society.
Non sociological explantions
LOMBROSO- Atavistic throwbacks to ape like state - Big jaws
EYNSECK - Extroverts more likely to commit crime than introverts.
Definitions of Deviance
Normative - Breech of norms
Statistic - Minority behaviour
Reactivist- The reaction and label applied to the action of an individual.
Absolutist - Break of moral guidelines ie religion.
Durkheim
Crime is integral to society, it has decreased due to the decline in mechanical solidarity.
Positive functions:
Adaption
Boundary Maintenance.
COHEN - Warning Function.
DAVIS- Safety Valve.
BUT
ERIKSON- IS society then geared towards crime?
Not functional for victim.
Why are sine deviant and others not?
Merton’s Strain Theory.
All strove towards the same goals but unequal means to achieve, this creates a 'strain to deviate' to achieve goals. This strain has 5 outcomes resulting in different forms of delinquency dependent on distribution of goals and means. Conformist Innovator Retreatist Ritualist Rebellion.
This is supported by Messener and Rosenfield who said the desire to attain wealth is indoctrinated in all aspects of society, creating a similar strain for deviance.
Salvsberg- Crime increased in USSR when became capitalist.
BUT
Simplistic- cannot explain all crime ie genocide.
Taylor Fruit machine of crime
Cloward and Ohlin
Deviance is generated via the opportunity to deviate and this is dependent on the type of criminal subculture in the area.
Criminal - There is an established criminal subculture giving role models to young people and a route into crime.
Conflict - High turnover means no subculture, exert frustrations and status via street crime and violence. Non utilitarian.
Retreatist - Double failures, fail at school and in crime. Drug abusers etc.
Inspired by the Chicago school
Shaw and Mckay- Crime varies dependent on subculture in area
Sutherland - learn crime through observation of criminal groups.
BUT
- South Too simplistic, subcultures overlap.
Deterinistic.
Miller - Focal Concerns
Working class do not have a commitment to the mainstream norms but have their own norms and values created on the factory floor. Miller calls these focal concerns, such as macho, and a desire for excitement. These are amplified in young people and create deviance.
BUT
Matza says they are committed to mainstream values as young people drift in and out of subcultures and revert to techniques of neutralisation to justify their actions.
Cohen
Studied group of working class boys in school, status frustration as failing and not respected by peers. To counter this they formed their own subculture that subverted mainstream values ie respect for property as a technique of revenge on society.
BUT Miller - always dedicated to their own subculture.
Matza- drift.
Becker
Deviance is created by the labeller, and is behaviour that has been successful labelled.
Becker argues that the application of the label creates a self fulfilling prophecy as the label becomes their master status ie ‘Ex Con’ limiting their opportunites, causing them to identify more with criminals and participate in criminal activity. DEVIANCY AMPLIFICATION.
This is supported by Cohen’s study of moral panics and Young’s study of marijuanna users in Notting Hill.
Blumer
Human behaviour is not controlled structually but by interaction and the subjective interpretation of actions and meanings. Functionalism is an insufficient explanation as everyone is deviant in some capacity but only some deviance in some situations is labelled.
Cicourel
Phenomenological approach - Typifications of typical offender used to label deviance- self reinforcing.
Studied juvenile delinquency in two US cities, found that working class boys were more likely to be arrested and be charged where as middle class boys were more likely to be let off as a ‘temporary lapse’
Lemert
Primary deviance - Deviance that is not identified and not labelled, ie stealing pens from work
Secondary deviance- deviance that derives from the public reaction to deviance.
Evaluation of labelling theory
Plummer - very influential in modern sociology.
Holland - important social policy implications
BUT
Downes and Rock - Can reject a criminal career.
Braithwaite
Deviancy labelling can be positive.
Disintegrative shaming - The actor is bad - excluded.
Reintegrative shaming - The act is bad not the actor, reintegrate. Crime lower where there is regenerative shaming.
